Judgment
.]] Judgment, known in Japan as Judge Eyes: Testament of the Deceased, is a 2018 Japanese action-adventure brawler video game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 4. It was released in December 2018 in Japan, and is slated to be released worldwide in summer 2019. It is a spin-off of the Yakuza series, set within the same canon as the mainline games. Set in the Yakuza series' mainstay setting of Kamurocho, Judgment follows the adventures of Takayuki Yagami, a former defense attorney who became a private detective after a client was arrested for murder and arson despite Yagami's acquittal of his. When a serial killer haunts the streets of Kamurocho, Yagami sets to find and bring the culprit to justice. Announced under the title Project Judge, Judgment is the first major Yakuza installment since 2016's Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. The game employs a similar world design and combat system to the Yakuza series, including the ability to change between different fighting styles similar to 2015's Yakuza 0. A new feature is investigation mode, which allows Yagami to locate traces of criminals. Upon release, Judgment was met with generally positive reviews. Critics considered the game to be a worthy successor to the Yakuza series and praised its usage of the franchise's elements and combat system, as well as the narrative, characters, presentation and humor. Critics were split about new additions to the franchise's gameplay, with some describing them as sloppy. Judgment was considered a commercial success for Sega, who noted that the game sold above its set expectations. Gameplay :Content in Judgment Plot Setting and characters Judgment is set in the red light district of Tokyo, Kamurocho, in 2018; while the game occurs two years after Yakuza 6: Song of Life and a year before Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Judgment and the Yakuza series only share the setting and several factions such as the Tojo Clan and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The main protagonist of Judgment is Takayuki Yagami; Yagami was a defense attorney employed by Genda Law Office who gained fame after successfully defending murder suspect Shinpei Okubo. Yagami's reputation was destroyed after Okubo was accused of murdering his girlfriend Emi Terasawa in 2015. After losing his job, Yagami became a private investigator and founded Yagami Detective Agency alongside Masaharu Kaito, a long-time friend of his and an ex-member of the yakuza family that looked after Yagami in his youth. Aside from Kaito, some of Yagami's core allies, friends and associates include the employees of Yagami's former workplace Genda Law Office; Ryuzu Genda, who used to be Yagami's mentor and father figure; Masamichi Shintani, an older lawyer who was jealous of Yagami's reputation; Saori Shirosaki, a socially-awkward woman who nonetheless supports Yagami; and Issei Hoshino, a recently approved lawyer who looks up to Yagami. Other allies include Fumiya Sugiura, a vigilant who decides to closely with Yagami; Mafuyu Fujii, a prosecutor who holds feelings for Yagami; Kazuya Ayabe, a corrupt cop selling information on Kamurocho; Keigo Izumida, another prosecutor with whom Yagami has a complicated rivalry; Shigeru Kajihira, a real estate mogul; the Kyorei Clan, a small yakuza group; and Ko Hattori, a reporter with strong disdain for Yagami. A core faction in the game is the Matsugane Family, a low-ranked subsidiary of the Tojo Clan. The Matsugane Family is headed by Mitsugu Matsugane, an elderly Patriarch who also served as Yagami's father figure alongside his friend Genda. Other core members include Kyohei Hamura, the family's Captain and true power; Toru Higashi, a lieutenant who begins to work with Yagami and Kaito, the latter being his former superior; and Kojiro Ozaki, Hamura's right-hand man. Another core faction is related to the Advanced Drug Development Center, whose actions drive the game's plot. Among them are Kaoru Ichinose, the Vice Minister of Health; Ryusuke Kido, a major figure in the ADDC; Yoji Shono, the lead scientist on a revolutionary drug; and Mitsuru Kuroiwa, a cop with links to the center. Synopsis Development Release Reception Critical reception Sales Trivia Gallery References Category:Games Category:Spin-off games Category:Judgment